Equivalence checking problem: 1953-2011 (survey)

Equivalence checking problem is that of verifying whether two given programs have the same behavior. By formalizing the terms “program” and “behavior” in different bases, we obtain numerous variants of this problem. It has been always regarded as one of the most fundamental problems in computer science which has a wide range of applications in software engineering. The talk provides a comprehensive survey of significant achievements in the study of equivalence checking problem for various models of programs since the early 50-s XX.